222 



CONGKESS, U. S. 



others threaten ; the Queen of England npon 

 her throne declares to the whole world her 

 sympathy with our unfortunate condition ; for- 

 eign Governments denote that there is danger 

 to-day that the greatest Confederation the 

 world has ever seen is to be parted in pieces, 

 never to he reunited.' Now, not what I wish, 

 not what I want, not what I would have, hut all 

 that I can get, is before me. I know that I do 

 no harm. If the people of Oregon do not like 

 it, they can easily reject it. If the people of 

 Pennsylvania will not have it, they can easily 

 throw it aside. If they do not believe there is 

 danger of dissolution, if they prefer dissolution, 

 if they think they can compel fifteen States to 

 remain in or come back, or if they believe they 

 will not go out, let them reject it. I repeat 

 again, it is their business, it is not mine. 



" But, sir, whether I vote for it at the polls 

 or not, in voting for it here it may be said that I 

 give up some of my principles. Mr. President, 

 we sometimes mistake our opinions for our 

 principles. I am appealed to often ; it is said 

 to me : 'you believed in the Chicago plat- 

 form.' Suppose I did. ' Well, this varies 

 from the Chicago platform.' Suppose it does. 

 I stand to-day, as I believe, in the presence of 

 greater events than those which attend the 

 making of a President. I stand, as I believe, 

 at least, in the presence of peace and war ; and 

 if it were true that I did violate the Chicago 

 platform, the Chicago platform is not a Consti- 

 tution of the United States to me. If events, 

 if circumstances change, I will violate it, ap- 

 pealing to my conscience, to my country, and 

 to my God, to justify me according to the 

 motive." 



Mr. Green, of Missouri, emphatically opposed 

 the Peace Conference proposition, saying : 



" Now, Mr. President, I want all these propo- 

 sitions voted down, and I hope my friend from 

 Kentucky will revive his propositions and bring 

 them up again. There is some vitality in them ; 

 there is some point in them ; but as for these 

 wishy-washy resolutions, that amount to noth- 

 ing, it is impossible that any Senator here will, 

 for a moment, entertain the idea of supporting 

 them. The Peace Conference ! And the small- 

 est peace that ever I have heard of. Let the 

 Senator adhere to his original propositions ; let 

 the Senator bring them up and press them upon 

 the attention of the Senate. That is as far 

 backing down as I will go. It is a little more 

 than I want ; but still, as a last effort to save 

 the Union, I would go that far. Talk about 

 these measures ! These measures, that have no 

 vitality these measures that amount to a total 

 surrender of every principle I never will vote 

 for ; and let the consequences of the future be 

 what they may, I stake my faith and reputation 

 upon the vote I intend to cast." 



On the following day the debate was re- 

 sumed, and Mr. Lane, of Oregon, expressed his 

 opposition to the propositions of the Peace Con- 

 ference, and gave these reasons : 



" I will say only a word, now, as to the amend- 



ments proposed to the Constitution. "We should 

 never compromise principles nor sacrifice the 

 eternal philosophy of justice. Whenever the 

 Democratic party compromised principle, it 

 laid the foundation of future troubles for itself 

 and for the country. When we do, then, 

 amend the Constitution, it ought to be in the 

 spirit of right and justice to all men, and to all 

 sections. I voted for the Senator's proposi- 

 tions, and I will do so again, if we can get a 

 vote, because there was something in them ; 

 something that I could stand by ; but there is 

 nothing in the amendments proposed by the 

 Peace Conference. He proposed to establish 

 the line of 36 30', and to prohibit slavery north 

 of it, and protect it south of it, in all the pres- 

 ent territory, or of the territory to be hereafter 

 acquired. In that proposition there was some- 

 thing like justice and right ; but there is noth- 

 ing in the amendments proposed by the Peace 

 Conference that any man, north or south, ought 

 to take. They are a cheat ; they are a decep- 

 tion ; they are a fraud ; they hold out a false 

 idea ; and I think, with all due respect to the 

 Senator for I have the highest regard for him, 

 personally that he is too anxious to heal the 

 trouble that exists in the country. He had 

 better place himself upon the right and stand 

 by it. Let him contend, with me, for the in- 

 alienable and constitutional rights of every 

 American citizen. Let him beware of ' com- 

 promising ' away the vital rights, privileges, 

 and immunities of one portion of the country 

 to appease the graceless, unrelenting, and hos- 

 tile fanaticism of another portion. Let him la- 

 bor, with me, to influence every State to mind 

 its own affairs, and to keep the territories en- 

 tirely free to the enterprise of all, with equal 

 security and protection without invidious dis- 

 tinctions to the property of every citizen. 

 Thus, and only thus, can we have peace, hap- 

 piness, and eternal Union." 



Further debate on these propositions was then 

 suspended to take up, on the motion of Mr. 

 Douglas, the joint resolution of the House for 

 the amendment of the Constitution, as follows : 



Resolved, &c., That the following article be proposed 

 to the Legislatures of the several States as an amend- 

 ment to the Constitution of the United States ; which, 

 when ratified by three-fourths of said Legislatures, 

 shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the 

 said Constitution, namely : 



ART. 13. No amendment shall be made to the Con- 

 stitution which will authorize or give to Congress the 

 power to abolish, or interfere, within any State, with 

 the domestic institutions thereof, including that of per- 

 sons held to labor or service by the laws of said State. 



Mr. Pugh, of Ohio, moved to amend by 

 striking out the words " authorize or " ; a 

 lengthy debate followed in opposition to all 

 amendments as sure to cause the defeat of the 

 resolution in consequence of the adjournment 

 of the House on the 4th of March. The amend- 

 ment was finally rejected. 



Ajnotion was then made by the same Sen- 

 ator to amend by striking out all after the cap- 

 tion " Article Thirteen " and inserting the Crit- 



